Speed-indicating apparatus



Sept. 16 1 4- e. E. CASSEL SPEED INDICATING APPARATUS Filed July 9. 19234 4 Shuts-Sha l sq n 16 1924."

G. E. CASSEL SPEED INDICA'IING APPARATUS Filed July 9. 1923 4Shoots-Shoot 2 Sept. 16 1924.

s. E. CASSEL SPEED INDICATING APPARATUS Filed July 9. 1923 4 Shuts-Shoot 5 S pt 16 1924.. 1,508,644

- G. E. CASSEL v Q SPEED INDICA'IING APPARATUS Filed July 9. 192a 4sham-sum 4 T 157- T'- -11. z 1

bodiment of this invention- Patented Sept; 16, 1924;

UNITED STATES 1,508,644. PATENT OFFICE.

GUNNAR ELIAS CASSEL, OF STOCKHOLK, BWEDENQQASSIGNOB '10 ARTUR LEFFLEB,

. OF DJUBSHOLH, SWEDEN.

SPEED-INDIGATING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 8,

To all whom it may concerfl:

Be it known that I, GUNNAR ELIAS CAssnL, a citizen of the Kingdom ofSweden, residing at Stockholm, Sweden, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Speed-Indicating Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to a speed indicating apparatus for motorvehicles.

An object of this invention is to rovide an apparatus of the said kindwhic automatically may produce a tem orary indication of the speeds ofthe ve icle during a limited distance which always terminates at thatpoint of the road travelled where the vehicles is when the reading takesplace. The said indicating o eration includes a temporary setting of a'nstable pins under the control of a centrifugal governor (ortachometer) driven. from the vehicle in synchronism with'the speed ofthe vehicle at each moment so that the pins, when, set, will represent aspeed diagram of the distance last travelled, and after a certaindistance has been travelled subsequent to the setting of any pin thelatter will be restored automatically.

Another object of the invention is to, provide an apparatus of the saidkind in which levers pivotally mounted in a rotatable disk aresuccessivel set into positions corresponding exact y to the speed of thevehicle at the moment at which said setting operation is effected underthe control of a centrifugal governor (or tachometer).

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus ofthe kind set forth which does not only indicate the speed of the vehicleat each moment under the control of the governor but also gives anindication of the maximum speed or another predetermined speed duringone or more predetermined distances.

The above said and other objects of the invention will more clearlyappear from the following detailed description of some embodiments ofthe invention reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of an apparatus accordinone em- 1g. 3 1s" a vertical section on the line A-BC in Fig. 4, andFig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line EF in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is adeve1op- 1923. Serial No. 650,445.

ment of a speed dialgram taken with the apparatus shown in igs. 1-4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of an ap paratus according to asecond embodiment of the invention. A Fig. 7 is a front elevation ofthis apparatus. view.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation with parts removed of an apparatus accordingto a.

Fig. 8 is a detail third embodiment of the invention. .Fig:'

apparatus is used so as to rotate with an angular velocity proportionalto the angular velocityof said wheel. The gears 2 and 2 transmit therotary movement of shaft 1 to shafts 3 and 4 respectively. The

shaft 3 which rotates at a comparatively high speed carries acentrifugal governor" (or tachometer) which, while it may be of any typedesired is herein shown as a ring 5 mounted to rotate with the shaft 3while at the same time being free to swing about 35 an axis at rightangles thereto. The swinging movement of the ring 5 is counter-balancedby a spring 6 so that the ring will assume a more'or less inclinedposition relatively to the shaft 3 according as the, number ofrevolutions of shaft 3 varies. A link 7 transmits the swinging movementof the ring 5 to a slidably mounted sleeve 8 the vertical position ofwhich will thus depend on the speed of the vehicle. which is driven ata. comparatively low speed carries a drum or disk 9 fastened to t 1eshaft 4, said drum having near its periphery a series of verticalborings loosely engaged by pins 10 mounted to slide in 109 said borings.The pins 10 may be easily displaced in the vertical direction of saidborings but may be held against movement by locking members or pawls 11formed at their fore ends as knife-edges 11 and acted 105 on by springs12 tending to push the pawls forward to cause them to engage the pins 10which may be formed with teeth or'serrations to facilitate suchengagement as will appear from Fig. 3. The disk 9 is posi- The shaft 4.-

tioned so as to cause allof the pins upon the rotation of the disk tosuccessively pass exactly above the sleeve 8. A cylinder 13 attached tothe frame of the apparatus serves to release each pawl from itsrespective pin immediately before the in passes over the sleeve 8, saidcylinder 13 eing provided to this end with a cam 13 adapted,

when the disk rotates, to pusheach pawl 11 away from its pin. Thepinsrest with their lower ends on a helical surface 12 till they reach apoint exactly above the sleeve 8 wherethe said surface terminates. Thepins will then successivelyl-drop down on the sleeve 8 to be thereuponimmediately locked in the position determined by the sleeve 8 due to thefact that the pawls 11 are released upon the continued rotation of thedisk 9 and allowed to again lock the corresponding pins. fUpon thecontinued rotation of disk 9 a' number of pins adjusted into'diiferent'heights will thus successively Said pins will remain in their setappear. positions during. a period of tune. corresponding for instanceto half a revolution by the upper ends, of the operated pins forsuccessive points of the distance last travelled'by the vehicle.

After a pin; has moved 180 awa from thesleeve 8 the? corresponding paw.is released by the cam 13" of the cylinder 13,-

said cam being shaped so as to allowthe pin to be in released conditionuntil a inzpassing above the sleeve 8. Durin t is period the pin islifted by "the helica surface 12 to a level corresponding to the highestspeed possible of the vehicle. The pin, having completed a cycle ofmovement and again reaching the sleeve, may 'be again set in the mannerdescribed. It should be noted that all writing pencils or similarappliances for recording the speed are dispensed with. With reference tothe apparatus illustrated in Figs.

6-8 the numeral indicates the casing of the apparatus. Said cas- I ingis covered at its front by a diskof glass '101. Mounted within thecasing near the rear wall thereof is a shaft 102 adapted to be drivenfrom any of the wheels of the' vehicle on which the apparatus is use orfrom any other member rotating syn hronously therewith. The shaft 102carries the governor weight 103 mounted in an oblique "POSItIOH and.connected by a link 104 to a sleeve105 slidable in an u and down posi-.

tion on the shaft 102. The upper end of the sleeve 105 is adapted toengage a channel-shaped guide-way 107 pivotally mounted on the-journal106 (Fig. 8) the side-walls of said guide-way converging towards thefree end thereof. The shaft 102 is formed as 'an endless screw, as shownat 108 e'n-' gagedb a worm wheel 109 fixed on an interme iate shaft 110.Carried by the said shaft 110 is also a toothed pinion 111 in engagementwithan internally toothed 'rim 112. formed on a rotatably mounted disk113. Pivotally mounted in'said, disk .are a great number of levers 114forming together an annular series of levers concentric to the axis ofthe disk 113. The ion er. ends .of said .levers" 114 engage in ra ialguide-ways or slots 115 formed-in a dial 116 rigidly attached to thedisk 113, said dial having, preferably, a number of circular scores 120(Fig. 7) corresponding to differcut speed (as froomO to 60km. an hour).

The shorter ends of the levers 114 en age the guide-way 107 when passingt ere above during the rotation of the disk 113, thereby setting thelevers into positions corresponding exactly to the speed at which thevehicle is travelling at the moments .at

which the setting operations take'place,tliat I is the moments at whichthe said shorter ends of the levers leave the narrow end of the uide-way107. To maintain the levers in t eir set positions each lever is actedon by a holding spring 117. engaging a surface 121 of the ever which isconcentric to the journal of the lever. Said sprin is 1 liftedout ofengagement with said su ace .by a fixed guide-way or cam 118 immediate-1y as the shorter end of the lever engages the guide-way 107 so that thesetting ofthe lever ma take place without causing any ,perceptib eresistance on the governor.

The ratio of gearing existing between the shaft 102 and the disk113 may,for in-' stance,be adjusted so that, while the vehicle travels adistance of 750 meters, the disk performs a suflicient rotation to causean of maintained against rotation by their springs and will represent bytheir ends projecting above the dial a speed diagram for the 750 m..lastvtravelled by the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 7

With reference to the embodiment shown in Figs. 9-13, the numeral 200indicates the casing of the a paratus which is covered at its front by aisk of'glass 201. Rotatably mounted in the casing 200 isa shaft 202adapted to bedriven from any of the wheels of the-vehicle or from amember rotating synchronously therewith. The

shaft 202 carries by meansv of' angularly the levers to move fromthenarrow en of the guide-wa 107 and back to the wider end of the guie-wa Duringsaid part of the revolution t e respective leversareprojecting pins 203 an obliquely mounted 3 governor weight 204connected by a link 205 to a sleeve 207 slidably mounted on an extension206 of the shaft 202. This sleeve 207 is pivotallg connected at itsupperend to a channel-s aped guide-way 209 pivoted at 208 the side-walls ofwhich converge in the direction away from the pivot 208 towards theconnection with sleeve 207. The shaft 202 is shaped as an endless screwas shown at 210 engaged by a worm wheel 211 on an intermediate shaft212.. The shaft 212 carries also a toothed pinion 213 in engagement withan internally toothed rim 214 formed on a disk 215 rotatably mounted ona tubular journal 216 within the casing 200. Pivotally mounted on thedisk 215 are a number of radially swinging levers 217 forming togetheran annular series of levers. The longer arm of each of said leversengages a radial slot 218 formed in a dial 250 attached to the disk 215.Said dial is pro- 'vided with concentric scores 219 correspond ing todifferent speeds. The rear ends of the levers 217 are adapted upon therota tion of the disk 215 to successively engage the guide-way 209 to bethereby set into positions corresponding to the speed of the vehicle atthe moments at which the shorter. arms of the levers are disengagedfrom. the narrow end of the guide-way 209. To maintain the levers 217 intheirset ositions a spring 220 is provided individua to each lever, saidsprings engaging a surface 221 of the respective levers concentric tothe journal of the levers. The's rings areheld out of engagement with teir respective surfaces 221 by a stationary guiding surface or cam 222during the pa e ofthe respective levers through the guide-way 209 inorder to enable the setting of the levers to take place without exertingany perceptible resistance against the movement of the' governor. Inorder that the'deflection of the governor may bear a directlyproportional relation to the speed variations of the vehicle a spring223'is provided, perferably acting on the guide-way 209, one end ofwhich is fixed, while the other end is connected to a ta laced over acam disk 224 carried by t e ub of .the guide-we In order to obtain inadditiomto the indication of the momentary (1 during a certain,preferably, short-distance, as represented by the levers 217, anindication of the maximum speed or any other predetermined sipeed duringone or more, preferably, longer istances the following provisions aremade.

' S'ucha'number wheel is also, shown in Fig.

11. Mounted at the side of said meter is a shaft 226, pivoted at its oneend on the journal 227 (Fig. 10) and resting with its opposite end in aslot 228 formed in a. bracket 229 in the direction of swinging of thesaid shaft. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 226 is a toothed segment 230,adapted to mesh in a toothed rim 231 on the disk 215. The shaft 226carries further two rotatably mounted number wheel segments 232and 233,see also Figs. 12 and 13. The hubs of the segments 230 and 232 areprovided with cooperating clutch members 234 arranged to permit acertain play at the throwingin of the clutch as will appear at 235 inFig. 10. The lower face of the segment 232 is engaged by a curvedarih-236 mounted on the shaft 237 and formed integral with an arm 238the free end of which extends into the path of a collar or shoulder 239on the sleeve 207. A spring 240 (Fig. 10) tends to maintain the hub ofthe segment 232 in engagement with the arm 236. The segment 232, Fig.12, is

formed with a holding tooth 241 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 242andis further provided with a stepping tooth 243 and a stop tooth 244 ofwhich the latter is adapted to engage, a fixed stop pin 245. The segment233, Fig. 13, is formed with-a holding tooth 246 to be engaged by aspring operated pawl 247 and carries further a stepping pawl 248 adaptedto engage the tooth 243 (Fig. 12) and a stop shoulder 249 adapted toengage the stop pin 245 A spring 256 tends to move the segment .232towards the stop pin 245, and another spring 251 tends to move thesegment 233 towards the said stop pin 245.

The segments 232 and 233 carry each a number indicating a predeterminedspeed above the maximum speed allowed. Said numbers will appear throughapertures 252 and 253 formed in the front wall of the casing 200. t

The pawls 242 and 247 cooperating with the segments 232 and 233,respectively, are formed with rear extensions 254 and 255, respectively,adapted to enga c any appropriate wheel of the meter 0 the distancerecorder, as, for instance, the wheel indicating the kilometres, in sucha way that said wheel at each revolution will first release the .pawl247 and thereupon the pawl 242 or successively.

The detailed operation of the apparatus is as follows:

As long as the speed of the vehicle does not exceed the maximum speedallowed the arm 238 will be out of the path of the collar 239. The arm236 will now hold the shaft 226 in moved position thereby keeping thesegment 230 disengaged from the toothed rim 231. The apparatusis now inthe position shown inw ich the rotation ofthe disk 215 has no influenceon the apparatus. Both the segment 232 and the segment 233 show into thetoothed rim 231.

until after a certain rotation has been 'com-' pleted, as, forinstance,after a rotation corresponding to 50 meters travelledby the vehicle.When the'clutch 234 is thereupon thrown into action the segment 232 isalso caused to partake in the rotation which may, for'instance, take.place in the direction indi cated by the arrow shown on the wheel 230-in Fig. 11. After the segment 230 has been rotated to the utmost extentallowedby its teeth, the segment 232 is rotated to such an extent as topermit the pawl 242 to move behind the tooth 241 thereby locking thesegment 232.- Should the speed be reduced below the maximum speedallowed the collar 239 will allow restoration of the arm 238 under theaction of a spring causing the arm 236 to move the shaft 226 so as todisengage the toothed segment from the toothed rim..231. The pawl 242,however, will retain thesegment 232 in its set position in which itindicates that'the maximum speedsal lo'wed has been exceeded. Thisposition is maintained during the period of time during which the digitwheel 225 which controls the pawl 254-is moving between two transferoperations to the. hi her digit wheel succeedin the wheel 225. hould thesaid first-mentloned wheel, as assumed above, be the ten kilometrewheel, the segment 232 will indicate, that a speed above the highestspeed allowed .has been reached during the ten kilometres last,travelled. When the said digit wheel .which controls the pawl 254,

reaches the position inwhich itis adapted a to mere the next numberwheel of the higher order of the distance meter to efiect the transferoperation, a cam or other projection (not shown) on said wheel will'acton the pawl 242-to'cause the latter torelease'the segment 232 which isnow rotated by its 'spring256, untilthe tooth 244 strikes the stop 245.In this rotation the pawl 248 mounted on the segment 233 is caused alsoto rotate owing to its engagement by the stepping tooth 243. This causesalso a rotation of the segment 233, and at the end of said-rotation thepawl 247 will engage behind the tooth 246and maintain the segment 233 inset position. The segment 233,v I when "in this position, shows throughthe aperture 253' that'the maximum speed allowed has been exceededduring a distance which comprises in the'case assumed the ten kilometrestravelled by the vehicle next be- 7 fore the distance indicatedf'b thekilometre wheel. If the speed allowed exceeded be fore the kilometrewheel has completed a further revolution, a new setting of the seg-'ment 232 is effected so that both the segment 1. not allowed, that is,the vehicle has reached 232 and the segment 233 will show a spec toohighspeed both during the distance indicated by the kilometre ,wheel andduring the ten kilometres preceding said distance. It is thus clear thatthe apparatus may in this way always permit a supervision of thecompleted, inasmuch as thejindication of,

the segment 232 should be transferred. tothe should berestored to normalposition. In

segment 233, 'whereas the segment 232 .9

such case the pawls 254 and 255 are in such 7 a position as to cause thewheel 225, when performing the transfer operation, to first I operatethe pawl 255 causing it to release the.

segment 233 which is thereupon restored to normal due to the action ofits spring. The wheel 225 will then operate the pawl 254 causing it torelease the segment 232 to allow it to be restored to normal. In thismovement the segment 233 is also moved as before to be thereby againmoved to indicating position.

If no speed above the maximum speed al-- lowed has been attained duringthe ten kilo- .metres last travelled, such a .speed, however,

having been attained during the ten kilometres succeeding those lasttravelled 'so that in affecting transfer from the wheel 225 only-segment233 but not segment 232 is in set position, it is evident, that the segment 233 is restored to normal and is main-f tained there, as norestoration of the segment 232'is taking place.

It'should be noted that the segments 232 and 233- may be made dependenton any 7 number wheel desired of thedistance meter or on any gearingdriven from one ofthe shafts of the vehicle. It'should further be notedthat the detailed construction of the invention may diifervfrom thatshown in the drawings without departing from the principle of theinvention.

While in the embodimentlast -described two indicating devices operatinginsuccession,as represented by the segments of num-' ber wheels'232 and233, are shown it should be observed that the number of such devices.

may be varied according to the requirements to allow an indication to bemaintained during any desired number of successively travelleddistances. The connection between the various segments of number wheelsmay in such case be arranged in a way similar to that described inconnection with the segments 232 and 233.

What I claim is:

1. In a speed indicator operated by a centrifugal governor driven by a.wheel of a vehicle, a rotary member driven from said wheel, a pluralityof radially movable indicating members on said rotary member, andconnections between said centrifugal governor and said indicatingmembers designed so as to successively adjust said indicating meansunder the control of the governor in agreement with the momentary speedof the vehicle the indicating members being arranged so as to indicate,when adjusted, the speed of the vehicle duringa certain distance lasttravelled'by the vehicle.

2. In a speed indicator operated by a centrifugal governor driven b awheel of a vehicle, a rotary disk drlven from said wheel, an annularseries of indicating levers mounted in said disk so as to be able toswing radially therein, means under the control of said centrifugalgovernor to successively engage the levers of said series to set eachlever into a position corresponding to the speed'of the vehicle at themoment at which the lever is set, and a dial on which the levers, whenadjusted, indicate the speed of the vehicle during a certain distancelast travelled by the vehicle.

3. In a speed indicator operated by'a centrifugal governor driven by awheel of a vehicle, a rotary disk driven from said wheel, an annularseries of indicating levers pivotally mounted on said rotary disk, achannelshaped guide-wa under the control of said governor adapte to besuccessively engaged by one endsof said levers, and a dial on [which theother ends of the levers after the engagement of the levers with saidideway lndicate the speed of the vehicle uring a certain distance lasttravelled by the ve hicle.

4. In a speed indicator operated by a centrifugal governor driven b awheel of a vehicle, a rotary disk driven from said wheel, an annularseries of indicating levers mounted in said disk so as to'be able. to

swing radially therein, means under the control of said centrifugalgovernor to successively engage the lovers of said series to set eachlever into a position corresponding .to'

. vehicle, a rotary disk driven from said wheel the vehicle during acertain distance last travelled by the vehicle.

5. In a speed indicator 0 rated by a centrifugal governor driven E; awheel of a vehicle, a rotary disk driven from said wheel, an annularseries of indicating levers pivotally mounted on said rotary disk, a

of the levers into the'said guide-way, and a dial on which the otherends of the levers after the engagement of the levers with saidguide-way indicate the speed of the vehicle durin a certain distancelast travelled by the ve icle.

6. In a speed indicator operated by a centrifugal governor driven by awheelof a a an annular series of lndlcating levers mounted in said diskso as to be able to swing radially therein, means under the control ofsaid centrifugal governor to successively engage the levers of saidseries to set each lever into a position correspondingto the speed ofthe vehicle at the moment at which the lever is set, and a dial on whichthe levers .When in set positions indicate the speed of the vehicleduring a certain distance last travelled by the vehicle, said dialhaving radial slots each engaged by one of said levers to form aguide-way therefor.

7. In a speed indicator. operated by a cenloo trifugal governor drivenby a wheel of a vehicle, means under the control of the governor toindicate the momentary speed of the vehicle, an indicating mechanism,means controlled by the governor to operate saidm'echanism when acertain speed i of the vehicle is exceeded, means driven by the vehicleto restore said mechanism to normal at each time that the vehicle hastravelled a certain distance,a second indicating mechanism adapted to beoperated by the said first-mentioned mechanism at the restorationthereof, and means driven from the vehicle to restore said secondmechanism after the vehicle has travelled a certain distance.

8. In a speed indicator vehicle, means controlled by the governor toindicate the momentary eipeed of the vehicle, a number wheel 0 eratunder the control operated by a. centrifugal governor driven by a wheelof a of the governor w en the vehicle exceeds a certain speed,automatically operating means to lock said number wheel in 0 ratedition, and means driven from t e vehic e to release said locking meansafter the vehicle has travelled a certain distance.

9. In a speed indicator'operated by a centrifugaligovernor driven-by awheel of a vehicle, means under the control of the governor to indicatethe momentary speed, of the vehicle, a series of number wheels, one ofwhich is operated by the governor, when a certain speed of the vehicleis exceeded, means on each preceding number wheel to operate, as thenumber wheel is restored, the subsequent number wheel, means to lockeach operated number wheel in setposition, and means driven from thevehicle to release said locking means to allow the number wheel torestore to normal.

' 10. In a speed indicator'operated by a centrifugal governor driven bya wheel of a vehicle, means under the control of said governor toindicate the momentary speed of the vehicle, an indicating mechanism,connections between said governor and said mechanism to operate saidmechanism under the control of the governor when the vehicle exceeds a'certain speed, said means being arranged to operateWith a certainv playcorresponding to a certain distance-travelled by the vehicle, and meansto restore said mechanism to normal after the vehicle has travelled acertain distance.

In testimony whereof I have signed my I name;

GUNNARELIAS CA'SSEL.

